Experts bespreken verbeteringen op controle handel in grondstoffen explosieven (en)
Group of chemical experts hard at work.
Access to chemical substances which can be used to produce explosives will be restricted, and trade in them is to be monitored. Those are the issues on which a group of chemical experts and anti-terrorist services of the EU countries under the leadership of the Polish Presidency i are concentrating. A meeting devoted to those matters was held in Brussels on 27th July 2011.
As Deputy Prime Minister Pawlak emphasised, in that area one should proceed cautiously and not succumb to emotion. ‘Explosives can be produced with many ordinary substances. For the sake of security, we cannot impose drastic restrictions on the daily lives or business activities of ordinary citizens,’ Deputy Prime Minister Pawlak said.
In his view, new regulations concerning those substances should be thoroughly analysed in terms of their influence on security, economy and civil liberties.
The European Commission’s initial proposal involved transferring those stipulations from the Regulation(EC) No. 1907/2006 (REACH) to a negotiated draft regulation on explosive precursors. Such a solution could facilitate access to dangerous substances. That is because the REACH resolutions impose a total ban on the general sale of those substances, whilst the EC proposal envisages their restricted sales to consumers. In that situation, the Polish Presidency has proposed maintaining the provisions of the REACH instruction and to introduce additionally the obligation to monitor suspicious transactions involving ammonium nitrate. That proposal will be further discussed by Member States.
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On 16th December 2008 Decision No 1348/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (amending Council Directive 76/769/EEC) was adopted, imposing restrictions on the use of five chemical substances including ammonium nitrate (the main ingredient of fertilisers). Subsequently, on the basis of Commission Regulation No. 552/2009, all the restrictions introduced by Council Directive 76/769/EEC were included in Annexe XVII to regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH).